I started to think that there really ought to be dumps around the world with rescue gear standing by, so that when a disaster happened, all these items of rescue equipment could be rushed to the disaster zone and used to help to get people out of trouble ... I was thinking, 'Rescue, yes, rescue, but how to make it science fiction? What about an international rescue organisation?

Gerry Anderson on the premise as quoted in Bentley, Chris (2005) [2000]. The Complete Book of Thunderbirds (2nd ed.). o. 8-9

Lew watched ["Trapped in the Sky"] and at the end he jumped up shouting, 'Fantastic, absolutely fantastic! This isn't a television series – this is a feature film! You've got to make this as an hour!' ... I'm glad we did it, because it made the series much bigger and much more important. But it was still a very, very difficult job.

Gerry Anderson on the premise as quoted in Bentley, Chris (2005) [2000]. The Complete Book of Thunderbirds (2nd ed.). p.26

Since we always tried to minimise walking, we'd show the puppets taking one step only, then promptly cut. Through interspersing the programmes with "meanwhile" scenes – that is, showing what else was going on in the story at the same time – we would then cut back to the puppet who was now already in his craft.

Alan Pattillo on puppet movement Marriott, as quoted in John (1993). Supermarionation Classics: Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons p.179